“Now this is what you are to do to consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve Me as priests: Take a young bull and two rams without blemish,
Parallel translations
- WEB “This is the thing that you shall do to them to make them holy, to minister to me in the priest’s office: take one young bull and two rams without defect,
- KJV And this is the thing that thou shalt do unto them to hallow them, to minister unto me in the priest’s office: Take one young bullock, and two rams without blemish,
- NKJV “And this is what you shall do to them to hallow them for ministering to Me as priests: Take one young bull and two rams without blemish,
- NASB “Now this is what you shall do to them to consecrate them to serve as priests to Me: take one bull and two rams without blemish,
- NLT “This is the ceremony you must follow when you consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests: Take a young bull and two rams with no defects.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God prescribed the ritual to consecrate Aaron and his sons: a young bull and two unblemished rams. The animals' perfection befit the holiness of the priesthood.
Overview
This chapter details the ordination ceremony that set apart the priests for service. The unblemished animals stress that only what is without defect is fit for God. These spotless sacrifices anticipate Christ, the Lamb without blemish, by whom a holy priesthood is consecrated (1 Pet. 1:19).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 17
- Heb 7:26Such a high priest truly befits us—One who is holy, innocent, undefiled, set apart from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.
- Lev 6:6Then he must bring to the priest his guilt offering to the LORD: an unblemished ram of proper value from the flock.
- Exod 29:21And take some of the blood on the altar and some of the anointing oil and sprinkle it on Aaron and his garments, as well as on his sons and their garments. Then he and his garments will be consecrated, as well as his sons and their garments.
- Lev 5:15–16“If someone acts unfaithfully and sins unintentionally against any of the LORD’s holy things, he must bring his guilt offering to the LORD: an unblemished ram from the flock, of proper value in silver shekels according to the sanctuary shekel; it is a guilt offering.
- Matt 6:9So then, this is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.
- 1 Pet 1:19but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot.
- Exod 12:5Your lamb must be an unblemished year-old male, and you may take it from the sheep or the goats.
- Lev 4:3If the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, he must bring to the LORD a young bull without blemish as a sin offering for the sin he has committed.
- Mal 1:13–14You also say: ‘Oh, what a nuisance!’ And you turn up your nose at it,” says the LORD of Hosts. “You bring offerings that are stolen, lame, or sick! Should I accept these from your hands?” asks the LORD.
- Lev 9:2He said to Aaron, “Take for yourself a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering, both without blemish, and present them before the LORD.
- Lev 8:2–36“Take Aaron and his sons, their garments, the anointing oil, the bull of the sin offering, the two rams, and the basket of unleavened bread,
- Lev 22:20You must not present anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf.
- Exod 20:11For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, but on the seventh day He rested. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.
- 2 Chr 13:9But did you not drive out the priests of the LORD, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites? And did you not make priests for yourselves as do the peoples of other lands? Now whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams can become a priest of things that are not gods.
- Lev 16:3This is how Aaron is to enter the Holy Place: with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.
- Exod 28:3You are to instruct all the skilled craftsmen, whom I have filled with a spirit of wisdom, to make garments for Aaron’s consecration, so that he may serve Me as priest.
- Exod 28:41After you put these garments on your brother Aaron and his sons, anoint them, ordain them, and consecrate them so that they may serve Me as priests.
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Christ at the center
The Passover lamb whose blood turns away death, the exodus through the sea, the manna, the rock, and the tabernacle where God dwells with his people all foreshadow Jesus — our Passover, our redemption, the bread from heaven, and God-with-us in the flesh.
How Exodus 29:1 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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